Flow controlling mechanism



May l5, 1934.

a 4am 2 Viti",

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mi llllllllllllllll f f l. A. MORRIS FLOW CONTROLLING MECHANISM FiledDeo. 4. i931 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,958,545FLOW ooN'rRoLuNG MEonANlsM Ira A. Morris, Houston, '.lex.A ApplicationDecember 4, 1931, serial No. 578,908 claims. (cl. 16e- 2) '.L'hisinvention relates to flow controllingy mechanism. This inventionconsists of certain improvements over that type of flow line disclosedin my pend- 5 ing application Serial No. 551,120, filed July 16,

An object of the invention is to provide a flow line for wells such asoil Wells, which will permit the free flow of oil from the well and atthe same time will preventy the escape of gas from the well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flow line for wells ofthe character described having an inllow opening beneath the normallevel of the oil in the well with a float operated valve arranged tocontrol said opening to the end that when the opening is submergedbeneath said level, the valve will remain in open position to permit theflow of oil from the well through said flow line and to lprevent theescape of gas but when said level is lowered beneath the opening, thevalve will operate to close said opening. Another object of theinvention is to provide a flow controlling device whereby the fluidlevel in the well may be maintained at the desired point.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flow controllingapparatus of the character described whereby the pressure at the bottomof the hole may be readily ascertained.

A further feature of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described which may be readily closed to stop production ofthe well and which at the same time will prevent the well from beingkilled to the end that the flow from the well may be resumed at any timewithout the necessity of swabbing, hailing or pumping the well.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation andarrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specificationand illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l shows a vertical sectional view of the upper end of theapparatus.

Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional View of the lower end thereof.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 shows a side elevation of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral 1designates the casingr set in a well bore. This casing has a suitablehead 2 connectedrto the top thereof and the ow line 3 extends downthrough the casing into the well, there being a stuffing box 4 in thecasing head around the flow line to form a fluid tight joint. If desiredan intermediate section as 5 of the flow line may be reduced and thisreduced portion is inclosed by an elongated tubular housing 6 whoseupper and lower ends are attached to the upper and lower sections 3 ofthe flow line above and beneath. The lower end of the flow line 3 may beclosed in any suitable manner as by a plug 7. 6b

The reduced section 5 of the flow line has a plurality of inlet openingsas 8 which are sube` merged beneath the normal level of the fluid in thecasing 1 and these openings may be opened and closed by means of arotatable sleeve valve 9 around the section 5 and having the openings 16arranged to be brought into and out of registration with-the openings 8.

Around the flow line-and movable thereon there is a sleeve like float 11formed of strong material 75 such as steel and formed hollow andcounterbalanced by the weights 12, l2 which are suspended by the cords13, 13 which pass over the sheaves 14, 14 mounted in the upper end ofthe housing 6 and Whose lower ends are attached to said float. 30 'Iheoat 11 is filled With air, or the like, under pressure, through thevalve 11, and is made of heavy, strong material, so that it will not becrushed by the pressure in the Well to which it is subjected and hencethe necessity of counterbalancing it so that it will rise and fall withthe level of the oil in the Well. The float has the upper and lowersleeves 15, 16 around the ow line 5 and the upper sleeve has thevertical slots 1'7 to receive the guide pins 18 which are anchored tothe low 90 line 5 and project through said slots to permit the verticalmovement of the float but to prevent its rotation. The lower sleeve 16has the spiralled slots 19 to receive the pins 20 which project out fromthe valve 9 and through which said- 95 valve may be turned. The floatrides up and down as the level in the casing varies. When the openings10 are in registration with the openings 8 the oil may flow in throughsaid registering openings and on up through the flow line to the groundsurface due to the internal pressure of the gas in the well. The gashowever will be trapped in the casing above the oil` and the gaspressure thus maintained in the well to the end that the internalpressure in the Well will not be reduced materially and to the furtherend that thegas in the well will not escape with the oil and becomeintermingled therewith so that the oil flowing out will not have to betreated in order to remove the 6, above the valve 9, as will be noted,has the perforations 21 to permit Athe free inilow of oil yand gastherethrough. Some of these perforations are provided with the removablebuttons or closures as 22 whereby they may be closed. As shown only thelower and upper openings 21 are open'and the intermediate openings areclosed.

- The oil and gas from the well beneath will rise up and the oil willflow in through the lower openings 21 into the housing 6 and will passthence into the ilow line ,5 through the registering openings 8-, 10 andwill flow on out but the gas will pass on up around said'housing andwill be trapped in the casing above.. Any gas entering the housing 6 mayrise and pass out through the upper tently, due to the fact'that thereis not sufcient pressure tokeep up the iiow. When a well owsintermittently the level in the well will vary, the level becomingrlower as the oil flows out. With the typ of apparatus herein described,when the level of the well descends the iloat l1 will descend with it`and the valve 9 will thereupon-be rotated to close the openings 8 toprevent said openings' from becoming uncovered when not submerged in thewell to the end that when the loil level in the well is beneath theopenings 8, said openings will be closed by the valve 9 and the gasprevented from escaping. When the oil level again rises the oat 11 willrise with it and the valve' 9,will be rotated through the connectionsbetween the sleeve 16 and said valve and the openings 8 and 10 will bebrought into` registration to permit the inilow of oil into the flowline.

The casing head 2 'is provided with a lateral outlet opening 23 normallyclosed by a plug 24.

If it be desired to relieve gas pressure from the well for the purposeof utilizing the gas, the plug 24 may be removed for that purpose.

The flow line 3 is provided with a suitable ga valve25 and beneath thisvalve there is a pressure gauge 26 by meanslof which`the pressurein theflow line 3 may be determined and the casing head is also provided witha pressure gauge 27 by means of which' the pressure Within the casing 1may be determined.

The uid level in the well may be maintained at any desired point butsuitably locating the valve at such a point in the well as will maintainthe -desired level.

'I'he pressure at the bottom of the hole may be readily ascertained. yThe iluid level, as hereinabove stated is known and consequently thestatic head will also be known. `The casing head pressure can be readilyascertained by inspecting the gauge 27 and with this data at hand thebottom hole pressure can be readily computed.

By the use of the apparatus hereinabove d e.

the fluid level in thewell is known and since the casing head pressureis revealed by the gauge 27, by closing the valve 25 the pressureregistering on the gauge 26 may be ascertained'and the differencebetween the casing head pressure as indicated by the gauge 27 and therlow linepressure as indicated by the gauge v26 will give the pressurerequired to' lift the fluid column ilowing through the line 3.

In case it be' desired to close down the well,

the valve 25 may be and production stopped. The iiuid level in the wellis thus maintained at the desired pointv and when the iiow ranged toopen and close said inlet, said housing I having openings above saidinlet, a. float within the housing `connected to the valve to` open andclose the' same and means flor sealing the well around the flow lineabove said housing.

2. A flow line forv wells having a surrounding 3 lhousing thereon/andhaving an inlet within said housing, a rotary valve on said linearranged-to open and close said inlet, a float in the housing associatedwith theline and connected to said valve to open and close the same,said housing j,

having inlets above said valve and means for sealing the well aroundsaid ilow line above said housing.-

3. Thev combination with means for sealing the top of a-well, of a flowline extending through and forming a' fluid tight joint with saidsealing "means, said flow line extending down into the well, a housingon the flow line spaced beneath said sealing means, said flow linehaving an inlet within the housing, a rotary sleeve valve on the ilowline arranged to open yand close said inlet and means controlled bythe`uid level in the Well and operatively connected to the valve and.effective to vary the position of the valve as thev liquid level in thewell varies.

4. The combination with means for sealing the top of a casing in a well,of a. ow line extending through said `sealing means into the well andhaving 'an inlet spaced 'beneath said sealing means, a rotary valvearranged to open or close said inlet, a oat on the flow line, means forpreventing the rotation of the float on said flow line,

a sleeve around the flow line depending from said oat having a spiralledslot and a projection on the valve working in said slot whereby avertical movement of the float will beJ effective to impart a rotarymovement to the valve.

5. A ow line for Wells having a uid inlet, means for controlling saidinlet, a hollow float containing a fluid under pressure and aiected g bythe liquid level in the well connected to, and controlling the inletcontrolling eans, a counterbalance for said oat and a ho sing on theflow line inclosing said float and counter-balance.

IRA A. MORRIS.

